The ITAT held that the Assessing Officer and the DRP were bound...

The ITAT held that the Assessing Officer and the DRP were bound to decide the assessee's jurisdictional objection based on resident status before passing the final assessment order. Because residential status under section 6 was required to be verified from the record, including the passport, and that exercise had not been undertaken, the objection remained unadjudicated and went to the root of jurisdiction. The final assessment order was therefore set aside and the matter remanded to the DRP for adjudication of that issue, while the additions on merits were left open.